More than 100 lawmakers join bipartisan effort to restore Violence Against Women Act funding
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Representatives Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5), Young Kim (CA-40), Debbie Dingell (MI-12), and Gwen Moore (WI-4) are leading a bipartisan group of more than 100 Members of Congress in urging the Biden Administration to reverse its decision to halt funding opportunities through the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW).
This move by the Administration threatens the safety and well-being of survivors of domestic and sexual violence across the country, the lawmakers said.
“OVW administers critical grant programs that provide lifesaving support to survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking. The sudden withdrawal of these funding opportunities threatens to disrupt essential services, jeopardize the stability of victim assistance programs, and undermine the bipartisan commitment to combating these forms of violence,” the lawmakers wrote to Attorney General Pam Bondi. “We respectfully urge the Department of Justice to clarify the status of these grants as soon as possible and take swift action to ensure funding remains available to support survivors and the organizations that serve them.”
“A delay or reduction in OVW funding will have devastating consequences for the countless individuals who rely on these resources for safety, legal protection, and recovery. This abrupt withdrawal of funding has created severe uncertainty that threatens the well-being of survivors who cannot afford these delays. We ask that the Department clarify its plans to rectify this situation and ensure that OVW grant funding is fully restored without further delay to continue providing care to survivors of domestic violence,” the lawmakers continued.
The OVW, established through the bipartisan Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), administers critical grant programs that provide lifesaving support to survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking. For decades, OVW grants have helped law enforcement agencies, legal service providers, crisis centers, and local organizations protect survivors and prevent abuse.
